When it comes to living life, you’re going to find that breaking out of the “bottom 90%” takes more effort than you might expect at first. What does this mean? It means that for any endeavor in which you engage, you likely underestimate how much work it takes to really set yourself apart. I don’t mean simply be average but set yourself apart. If you want to be successful, understand that it take a lot more work than you probably think it does. Even if all you’re looking for is moderate success, you’re probably going to have to move mountains. Becoming a successful person on your own terms is worth it, but it’ll definitely teach you how to appreciate what you have, and realize that it takes a lot of sacrifice to become good at something.
Gurus always make it sound easy
Self-improvement is a massive industry, and it’s always growing. With each passing year, more and more people are more and more willing to spend money on stuff that they believe will improve their lives. This is because there’s an oversupply of labor and people feel stuck and confused. This is also why there are so many gurus. People need answers and many people are willing to provide them.
The top people are very talented
This should go without saying. But if you’re doing anything worthwhile, you’re going to be competing against people who are talented and trying hard. Your competitors will produce amazing work. In order to succeed at anything worthwhile, you’re going to need to do what it takes to win. You’re going to reach milestones and realize there’s more work to be done. This is just a fact of life.
It’s hard to multi-task
This means that you’re unlikely to have a truly balanced, highly successful life. The odds of you being in the top 1% in two things are 1 in 10000. That’s not likely. If you want to have a good life, odds are you should give up on being super rich. That way if you do it will be by a stroke of luck, and you can savor it. I don’t know much about life, but I know that chasing money for its own sake is a losing battle. You’re good once you have a bit of wealth.
How to win: remain undaunted
Despite success being tricky to achieve, other people have done it. If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably a normal person who cares. This means you have a shot. You just have to know what you’re doing and copy the ones who came before you. Set a lofty but achievable goal and don’t be daunted. You’re going to make it.
Be objective in how you set goals, and know exactly how much progress you are making
If you’re real with yourself, you’ll know where you stack up. If you know how you stack up, you know how much work you need to do. If you’ve done $100 worth of work, don’t delude yourself into thinking you have $1000. Nowadays it takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to build anything of value. If you can set objective goals, you’ll know just how worthwhile any given endeavor is, and save yourself a lot of time. You get objective benchmarks by look at other people who’ve done what you want to do. Ask yourself how you’re doing relative to them. If you’re not doing better, make adjustments. If you’re objective, you can’t lose.
Be objective in what you’re sacrificing
If you’re ok with sacrificing time with your family, then it’s ok to work. If you’re ok with sacrificing time spent on your side hustle, it’s ok to go to the gym. Everything in life has an opportunity cost. Understand this and ration your time accordingly. In life, you don’t have as much as you think. Your mid 20s creep up quickly. Before you know it, you’re pushing 30 or 40. It can happen to you too if you aren’t careful.
Stay consistent
If you can continue to produce, you’ll get more traction and make more money or gain more influence in your field. This applies to any and all aspects of life. He who outlasts everyone else, wins. The more consistent you are, the higher your chances of outlasting the competition. Producing more content helps you reach a “pro” level more quickly. I could have taken my sweet time with Rising Current. Instead, it’s a blog with nearly 300 articles now. I have more in my vault than most bloggers have ever written. I struggle to see how I won’t win.
Succeeding is simple, but not easy. You’re going to have to delay gratification and likely accept the fact that you’re going to be pretty broke throughout your younger years (by the standards of your country). But one day, things will “click”, and you’ll find that life gets a lot simpler and easier. It’s all about working hard, being realistic, being consistent, and compromising. A happy life with success is just around the corner if you do these things. You just need the mental strength to do this. As I said before, it’s simple but not easy. Stay focused.
Thanks for paying attention.
